The Middle East, due to its magnificent climate, tax benefits and overall lifestyle, is a destination that many expats desire to work.

Although not restricted to just western expats, the region his home to many Asian and Arab expats, thanks to the close proximity of the GCC nations.

However, pay discrepancies between Western, Asian and Arab expats has been a contentious issue for some time, some feeling cheated due to the generally higher salary the Westerner tends to receive.

Although many HR managers may say this higher salary is justified to help attract the top western expats with the desired skills and experience from more mature markets required to improve company performance, the difference in salaries is actually becoming smaller.

The gap between Western and Asian expats decreased this year, with westerners earning 26.91 per cent more on average and 6.96 per cent more on average more than Arab expats, which was also smaller than last years total.

Asian expats now earn 20 per cent less than Arab expats, a five per cent improvement from last year.

Arab expat salaries rose the least among the racial groups in the GCC, rising only 4.69 per cent according to the Gulf Business Salary Survey.

Arab Expat Salary

The largest drop in monthly income was seen in the construction sector, with an Arab expat construction manager seeing a 10 per cent cut to their monthly wage.

Here is the average monthly Arab Expat salary per position in the GCC nations ($ USD): 

Asian Expat Salary

Asian expat salaries saw the strongest growth in the region according to the Gulf Business Salary Survey. Average salaries rose 9.74 per cent on their monthly return. This is all despite them earning significantly less than their western and Arab counterparts.

Here is the average monthly Asian Expat salary per position in the GCC nations ($ USD):

Western Expat Salary

Western expats saw a steady rise in their earnings, gaining 9.6 per cent more on their monthly earnings compared to last year.

Here is the average monthly Western Expat salary per position in the GCC nations ($ USD):

In general, salaries are increasing in the region, rising 7.88 per cent with Kuwait seeing the highest average expat salary increase with 10.19 per cent.

If you would like to take advantage of these high and tax free salaries, then upload your CV to our database for an appraisal on how you can teleport your job to these high growth destinations.

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